Ghost In The Room
by Closet Lethargy
Summary: Without warning, all seven Ouran Hosts have been kidnapped by a madman! Trapped in a mansion with the clock ticking and death lurking around every corner, can they all make it out in time...alive? The adventure awaits...rated M for gore only.
1. Chapter 1: Closing In

Ghost In The Room

Chapter 1: Closing In

AN: Heads up, this will be gory and bloody, so if this is a concern, please do not read! This is my first attempt at bloody horror, and as of yet, it's my most planned story, so regular updates, possibly every week, should be coming, although I'm not one hundred percent sure of this, so I apologise if I fall behind. As before, I hope you enjoy, and should anything be off, characters, spelling errors, etc., please let me know so I may fix them ASAP for you to enjoy more. Well, here we go!

Disclaimer: Ouran and it's characters are not mine. Castor is...maybe I shouldn't take credit for that...

\\( ' - ' )/

 _"Come play with me, big brother!"_

 _Ow …it hurts …it hurts so much …_

 _"All right, I'm coming. Hey, don't steal my hat!"_

 _Why … does my head hurt? It's going to split open from the pain …these memories …they're tearing me apart, I can feel it …_

 _"But you look funny in it! Admit it, I look WAY cuter wearing it than you do!"_

 _Rin …where …where's Rin?_

 _"Haha, try to catch me, big brother Tamaki!"_

 _Wait …where are Haruhi and the others …? They should be here too …right?_ Tamaki pried open his stiff eyelids, frowning at the nonexistent change in lighting. It was too dark, too still. What had happened? A little girl, with sky blue eyes too big for her face and a beaming smile, jumped to the front of his mind, and Tamaki winced.

"Rin …Rin, where's Rin?" he murmured to himself. Where was he? It was dark, much too dark to be his room at home, and soft, repetitive sounds from outside his field of vision grated against his ears like nails on a chalkboard, though he had no idea why. They were rather relaxing noises, if he thought about it; zip, rustle, zip, rustle, snip, clink, snip, zip. But if they were so calming, then why were they making him so uneasy? Something about the gentle noises were important to him, something ugly and very fundamentally wrong. They had to be stopped, of that much he was certain, but first he had to figure out where he was and get out of there. Tamaki felt around him; wherever he was, it was small and wooden, like a wardrobe or closet.

He was the only thing inside, so, after locating what appeared to be the door, Tamaki readied himself, and threw his lean frame against the flimsy boards. They gave way easily, almost as though whoever had put Tamaki there fully expected (or wanted) him to break free of his prison. The sudden light that assaulted his eyes, though dulled and fuzzy, was still bright to adjust to after complete darkness, and Tamaki stumbled forward, furiously rubbing his eyes against the artificial lighting. Immediately, he wrinkled his nose. Once the door was open, which had trapped a musty smell tainted with the old scent of mothballs, several new smells pounced on the unsuspecting Tamaki. They came in rapid succession … _dirt, mold, damp, sweat, wood, blood_ …and something so foul he couldn't describe it.

Swiftly prying open his eyes to search for the source of the foul odor, Tamaki's entire body froze stiff, appalled at what he was witnessing but somehow unable to even close his eyes again, the memory seared into his brain. A tall, heavily overweight man in a dull plaid shirt was hunched over a table, a metal tray on a stand beside him filled to the brim with a gooey mess of bloody red organs, the topmost of which was a still beating heart …a human heart. It stopped beating very quickly. The tray steadily dripped a constant _drip, drop, drip,_ and peeking out from under the fat man's elbow, were a pair of unblinking sky blue eyes on a deathly pale face. Eyes too big for the face they were part of.

"Rin," Tamaki breathed, beyond sickened and frightened. The man straightened, and Tamaki felt a brief moment of panic when he realized that not only had the man heard him but was turning to face him. A disturbing reddish stain coated his teeth and dribbled down his chin, the tiny glasses perched on the end of his nose gleaming near maniacally as he turned.

"Ah, you're awake, Suoh-san," the man chirped. "My name is Castor, like castor oil." He giggled. "Your young friend here gave me quite a bit of trouble; I do hope you won't ruin that pretty face of yours with scowls and tears as she did. Such a shame, she was so beautiful. I'll be just a moment longer, so you'll have to wait your turn." He held up a handful of heavy black thread attached to a long, curved needle pinched between his fingertips. Tamaki felt his heart, and stomach, drop out from under him, terror spiking high to make up for the loss. It was obvious what he was doing, grotesque and mortifying as it was. He was a taxidermist, stuffing a human subject … _Tamaki's little cousin_ …and stuffing _himself_ with the remains. Tamaki wanted nothing more than to empty his stomach in some dark corner and then curl up in a ball and cry for the rest of eternity, but some tiny spark of common sense told him he couldn't let go, not now.

Tamaki took several deep breaths, and when Castor turned back to the table, he scanned the room as quickly as he could lay eyes on it. There was only one door, so, in a fit of adrenaline, Tamaki lunged forward ad slammed his side into the door, hearing a slap, a creak, a groan, but nothing gave. _Locked_. Tamaki rammed it again and again, his heart in his throat as he heard the light _snick_ of the needle being set down and the disgusting squelch and slurp as Castor shoved a liver into his mouth and chewed contentedly.

"I'm ready for you now, Suoh-san," Castor announced cheerfully. "Just come sit here on the table beside the girl, and I'll perform the vivisection shortly." Tamaki's movements became more and more frantic. The man was going to cut him open while he was still alive?! Tears sprang to his eyes, blurring his vision. _Is that what he'd done to his poor Rin-chan?_ Tamaki threw himself harder, and finally felt the door crack under the pressure. With one last hurl, the door gave way, and Tamaki shot out the door for his life. It looked like one of the halls from his house - were they were in a mansion? A spine chilling laugh followed him as he raced down the barely moonlit hall.

"You can't hide forever, Suoh-san!" Castor shouted after him, much too cheerily. "This house is mine, I'll find you sooner or later! You're only prolonging your fate!" Tamaki ignored him and _**RAN**_ , never looking back as he sped around corners so fast he nearly lost his footing and tore tapestries as he slid on marble floors and grabbed them for balance. The mansion was like a maze - no matter where he went, it all looked the same, and there were no windows low enough for him to see out of to know how high up he was, nor stairs to indicate, or even any signs of a door leading to the outside. So, panicking recklessly and already frightened beyond words, he started opening every door he came across, looking for a way out of here, _any_ way out, and angrily slamming every door that opened uselessly to an average, escape - less room. Blind with fury, rage and tears, he almost missed the darker than normal bundle lying on the floor to one of the rooms. Fortunately, the human shaped bulge recognized him.

"Tamaki-sempai?" Tamaki froze, hardly daring to believe his ears.

"H …Haruhi?"

AN: Dun dun dunnnn! Although finding Haruhi is a good thing...Right? I'm really sorry about poor Tamaki's trauma, but torturing characters only shows tough love. I think...anyway, I hope you enjoyed and if you'd like the next chapter earlier than next Tuesday, please leave a review and I'll see what I can do. Until next time! \\( ' w ' )/


	2. Chapter 2: Journey Through the Mansion

Ghost In The Room

AN: Hi there! So, the 4th of July is coming up soon, and I suddenly realized that I wouldn't have internet access nor time to post the promised chapter on Tuesday like I'd planned. So, I decided to be nice and post it early rather than late. Also, I wanted to say thanks to a guest reviewer - I'm glad you're enjoying my stories so far! (Yes, it is VERY difficult to find clean fanfiction - I'm glad you like my clean, if messy, scribbles...) Anyway, onwards, and Happy early 4th of July!

Disclaimer: I lay no claim to Ouran and its characters. However, it seems as though I find enjoyment in borrowing and/or torturing them, so I shall continue to do so. That's all.

\\( ' - ' )/

Tamaki looked absolutely horrible, Haruhi thought. He was wrinkled, pale, panting, crying and staring at her with the saddest, most terror stricken expression she'd ever seen on him. With her hands tied behind her back, it was hard to motion him closer, but, Haruhi being Haruhi, managed.

"Haruhi?" Tamaki squeaked. "You're here - you're alive! You're you …aren't you?" Haruhi very nearly scoffed at such stupid questions, but the way his voice shook and his knees quivered and tears still dripped down his face silenced her. She'd never seen Tamaki so upset before, and though she knew it was bad timing, motioned him to join her and sit. Tamaki carefully closed the door and obediently joined her on the floor, legs splayed and rubbing his arms to ward off an imaginary chill.

"Tamaki-sempai, what's going on?" Haruhi questioned softly. "Are you all right? Where's little Rin, do you know?" Tamaki sniffed and burst into tears anew. Haruhi hurriedly tried calming him, not sure what she'd said to upset him. "Hey, it's okay, forget it," Haruhi told him as brightly as she could manage. "Could you untie me please, sempai? I can't feel my fingers anymore." Tamaki wiped his face dry on his dirty sleeves and scooted behind Haruhi to undo the knotted ropes.

"If you're here, then are the rest of the rest of the club here?" Tamaki choked out, more than relieved he'd found a comforting face in this dark place. Haruhi shrugged the ropes off, rolling her shoulders to free them of the stiffness they'd acquired from resting in the same position for hours.

"What? You don't remember?" She teased lightly. Tamaki only blinked at her, a blank expression smoothing out the worry lines in his face. Haruhi blinked back. "Oh. You really don't remember. Okay, do you even remember why we were kidnapped?" Tamaki started looking a bit green, so Haruhi wisely moved on. "We were at school - see, we're still in our uniforms." Tamaki glanced down, for the first time noticing the pale blue sleeves of his own suit jacket. "We were cleaning up after club hours when this weird gas suddenly appeared." Haruhi chuckled. "You looked so funny, sempai! You grabbed Rin-chan and put her on your shoulders and started running around like a chicken without a head trying to open all the doors and windows!"

Haruhi was pleased to see a shaky smile flit across his face before it disappeared as quickly as it had come. "Anyway, we all conked out, and when we woke up, we were all together in the same room, except for you and Rin. Honey and Mori looked like porcupines with all the tranquilizers stuck in their backs, and we were all tied up. It was really confusing, and then this fat guy calling himself Castor came and separated us. He didn't say much, but he gives me the creeps." Haruhi smiled encouragingly. "So, what happened to you?" Tamaki swallowed a whimper and vainly tried speaking to give Haruhi his own account.

"I - I woke up i - in this closet …a - and when I got out - Rin was - Rin …oh Rin …" resolve shattered, Tamaki melted into a hopeless puddle of tears, hands pressed tightly to his face in an effort to block out the memory of a lifeless doll that looked like his dear cousin, staring at him as if to ask _why? Why didn't you save me?_ Haruhi, unaware of his thoughts, sat beside him and wrapped her arms around him, feeling her heart break at the way he snuggled into her shoulder and only cried harder, shaking and gasping and staining her already ruined uniform. It was so easy to want to stay that way, leaning on each other's comforting presence and trying to forget, but an overwhelming sense of urgency won Haruhi over, and she gently, reluctantly, pushed Tamaki, standing and offering her surprised friend her hand.

"Come on," she murmured with a soft smile. "The others are around here somewhere, too. We've got to find them and get out of here, okay?" Tamaki gratefully took her hand, wiping his face on his soiled jacket.

"Okay. Let's go find the rest of our family." Haruhi checked to make sure the hallway was empty and led the way down the hall, glancing at Tamaki occasionally to see if they were headed in the right direction. They continued the blonde's pattern of looking in each room to check for friendly faces, and it wasn't long before they came across a partially open door, a dark shape not far away on his stomach inching down the hall.

"Kyoya?" Tamaki questioned disbelievingly. The figure froze in the act of squirming around a decorative table hosting a large ceramic vase full of dead flowers, slowly turning to see over his shoulder. Glasses glinting, Kyoya scanned them silently before uttering a simple phrase.

"Oh, there you two are. One of you come untie me." Tamaki obliged him while Haruhi only stared at the Shadow King in amazement.

"Kyoya, how did you turn the doorknob with your hands tied?" She asked. Kyoya raised an elegant black eyebrow at her curious inquiry.

"I didn't," he replied blandly. "I merely used my foot to break the knob off on my side. The door opened of its own accord." Haruhi frowned as Tamaki helped him to his feet.

"Didn't that hurt? Those knobs are solid brass." Kyoya winced, leaning heavily against Tamaki's shoulder.

"Yes, well, I believe I sprained my ankle upon impact as a result, but it's not bad. I can walk fine, I just need a cane of some sort to assist me." Tamaki sighed and bent over, giving him a _look_.

"Well then, I'll just have to carry you until we find one, won't I?" Kyoya opened his mouth to argue, but it seemed like the most logical option at the moment, so he obediently climbed onto Tamaki's back without another word and held on tightly. The trio continued on down the hall in this manner, opening the doors and checking inside them, and Haruhi noticed with interest that the doors were becoming thicker and further in between. They walked approximately five hundred feet in the straight hall before they heard a loud, rapid continuous banging coming from somewhere nearby. Systematically searching the next few doors, they came up empty until Haruhi opened the next door on her row and was suddenly knocked to the ground by a streak of auburn.

"Hikaru, get off me," Haruhi gasped, shoving at the taller boy to get his heavy weight off her lungs.

"AHOU! WHERE WERE -" he suddenly stopped mid - rant, frantically looking this way and that. "Kaoru?" He whined, obviously distressed that his twin wasn't in sight. Before Haruhi had the chance to talk to him, Hikaru had somehow launched himself to his feet and stumbled a few feet further before he tripped with a yelp and fell face first into the dusty rug.

"Hikaru!" Haruhi snapped. The redhead only keened out a funny noise and buried his face into the floor, not making an attempt to rise. Haruhi glanced back at Tamaki, who was setting Kyoya down and resting beside him, and made her way over to Hikaru. "Hey," she tried again, calmer this time. A strange sense of deja vu hit her, as though she'd seen him this way before, but she carelessly brushed it away. She had more important things to worry about right now. If everyone was going to act all scared and nervous around her, then fine. She would just have to become their voice of reason. "Hikaru, listen to me." Bright golden eyes crept up to meet her gaze, and Haruhi blinked. The teen had that same panicked expression as Tamaki, tears threatening to spill and trembling lightly from head to toe.

"Haruhi-chan," he almost whispered. "K - Kaoru -"

"Do you know where he is?" Haruhi asked excitedly. Hikaru winced.

"Haruhi - he's gone!"

AN: Yes, this one isn't terribly exciting, but now we've gone from one host to three! That should be a good sign. But will they find the others? Or rather, _how_ will they find them? Please review and I hope you enjoyed!

Note: Ahou is an interchangable use of the word baka, or literally, idiot. Mostly used in Kansai-ben, it can be affectionette or an insult, depending on who is speaking to who.


	3. Chapter 3: Fun House of Horrors

AN: Here you go, the next installment of Ghost in the Room! It makes me happy that people want to see my stories updated, and the kind reviews are most appreciated! (Especially my guest reviewer - thank you yet again! I wouldn't mind a virtual hug, but the ice cream was in my favorite flavor, so I'm not complaining!) Anyway, I feel as if you're too anxious to read the story to read this, so I'll end here. Have some creepiness!

Disclaimer: All I own is Castor and the plot...still not sure if I should be proud of this or not...

\\( ' - ' )/

Haruhi desperately wanted to question him, but first things first. She untied his wrists and propped him up beside Kyoya, quietly watching her huddled little group. Out of the three of them, the brunette seemed to be the only one unaffected by their time in this creepy place, but even he carried an air of paranoia she wasn't sure he'd had before.

"Okay, guys, listen up," Haruhi, the unofficial leader, began. "I can see something's bothering you, but I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong. One at a time, and _briefly_ because we don't have much time, tell me what's going on. Tamaki?" Tamaki gulped, fiddling with his hands and tugging at his shirt cuffs. He recounted what he could, about Rin and Castor and his trip through the manor. He couldn't go into any significant detail …and he didn't entirely finish it, swiftly breaking down again. He hid his face behind his hands; the story had left his friends looking quite a bit green, and seeing them as a mirror of himself had only made him feel that much worse. Kyoya sympathetically patted his shoulder and glanced up at Haruhi's expectant face.

"As for me, there's really nothing more I can add," Kyoya stated, turning to look at Hikaru. He knew as well as Haruhi that since nothing more could be done for Rin, they had to focus on finding their living companions. And, cruel as it sounded, Tamaki couldn't be allowed to grieve, not yet, not until they were safe from the cannibal holding them hostage. He was mildly relieved when Tamaki slowed his tears to listen to Hikaru, who was scratching at his hair in a kind of nervous tick.

"Well, for starters, Kaoru and I ended up together after we were split up," Hikaru told them somewhat shakily. He still looked a bit green and swallowed heavily before continuing. "We were planning our escape when Kaoru said he saw something move under the bed. I checked it out and found this old yellow skeleton, and it looked like its hand was reaching for us …it was a little creepy, but at least Kaoru didn't see it. I told him it was just a rat. But then weird stuff started happening - wood creaking, metal clanking, that kind of thing. But Kaoru didn't hear it - he said it must have been my imagination. Then, when he wasn't looking, when he was over by the door …" Hikaru shuddered hard, gulping loudly. "A girl - at least, I think it was a girl - that looked like Rin-chan appeared in the window with black stitches all over her face, and no eyes. S - she reached for me, and said _leave, while you still can, and get as far from here as possible,_ and then she vanished, and the weirdest thing was, Kaoru STILL didn't notice anything!" Hikaru paused just long enough to drag a hand down his face, his troubled look intensifying.

"The whole thing was freaking me out, but then I heard these footsteps in the hall that he FINALLY heard, too, so I tried getting closer to the door to figure out what was going on. But then, my foot must have bumped something, because this trap door opened and took Kaoru! It wouldn't open again, and I thought it must have been like some fun house and he'd just been dumped in the hall and was waiting for me. So I tried knocking the door open, but nothing I tried worked, until you showed up, Haruhi-chan. I - I still can't figure out what happened to him, or how to get that stupid door open again." Haruhi stood up and went over to the door Hikaru had come flying out of and looked inside, easily spotting the irregularity in the flooring that suggested a trap door. She glanced over her shoulder, feeling that crawling sensation running up her spine that they really, really needed to get moving _now._

"Guys, come on. If we can figure out how that door opens, we can find Kaoru. The quicker we get everyone together the quicker we can get out of here." Kyoya nodded.

"That does sound like the most reasonable option. Tamaki? Hikaru?" At nods all around, Tamaki hoisted Kyoya onto his back and Hikaru bounded forward, immediately searching for the lever to the door. While Tamaki and Kyoya stood off to one side, quietly observing, Haruhi and Hikaru combed the room, bare except for a large, four poster bed, a rug, a small window, a fireplace and, of course, the trap door. Hikaru didn't venture under the bed, and Haruhi didn't tell him that the skeleton was still there, looking right up at her. There wasn't much else to see, and even pounding on various surfaces revealed nothing. Haruhi slammed her fist against the wall, that crawling sensation tingling up her spine warning her that their time was running out and _fast._ They had to find that trigger!

"Hikaru, think," Haruhi commanded, sweeping across the room to grab the redhead by his shoulders. "Try to remember, where _exactly_ were you when the trap door opened?" Hikaru blinked blankly at her, golden eyes wide.

"Um …I think …maybe I was here?" He walked over to the corner Tamaki and Kyoya were, studying the ground beneath him. "Or maybe …maybe I was a little over here …wait, that's not right …" Kyoya cocked his head, seemingly listening to something other than Hikaru's muttering.

"Did you hear that?" He asked, practically toppling Tamaki as he leaned towards the door to hear better. Everyone froze, and in the sudden silence, what Kyoya had heard became as clear as day; shuffling footsteps and cheerful whistling. All the blood seemed to drain from Tamaki's face when he recognized who was making the noises, and when he started trembling, Kyoya was dropped unceremoniously to the ground. To the brunette's credit, he merely grunted in protest, but he immediately turned his attention back to his friend, throwing pride out the window as he did his best attempt at scooting closer to Tamaki on three limbs.

"What is it?" Kyoya questioned seriously.

"C - Castor! He's coming - he told me he - he wants to - to -" Tamaki had to stop to breathe heavily in order to continue, and even then he almost didn't finish. "He wants to - to do - the same thing to - to us what he - he did to R …Rin!" Haruhi had already guessed what he was trying to say once she heard "Castor," and quickly thought up an escape plan. It involved lots of acrobatics, sliding, and traps, but before she could utter a single word, Hikaru became panicked, running in circles and frantically calling for his brother. Whether it was fate, dumb luck or whatever, Hikaru stepped on a floor tile that suddenly gave way under his foot. The trap door opened beneath them, and all four hosts went plummeting into the blackness. The door above them swung closed, the group hit bottom, and a different kind of pitch darkness overtook their worlds.

\\( ' - ' )/

AN: There you have it. Not much creeps or anything yet, but don't worry - a few more chapters down the road and things will get a lot more interesting, just be patient as I round out the story. I hope you enjoyed it all the same, and keep your eyes open for chapters being added to my other books! Thanks for reading! \\( ' - ' )/


	4. Chapter 4: Finding Kaoru

AN: Yeah, another one on the same day, but I thought that last one was too short, so I'll be nice and put another one up. You're welcome! By the way, in case you were wondering, I'm enjoying a virtual ice cream cone as I write this, as it's hot and someone was kind enough to send one. You know who you are. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Sadly, still all I own is Castor...

\\( ' - ' )/

Kyoya was the first to wake from unconsciousness - he only knew that because nobody had made a peep in the few minutes it took him to reorient his throbbing head and adjust to the dark around him. He reached inside his jacket, digging around blindly to find a small pen light Tamaki had give him as a joke present. To "lighten his mood," or some such nonsense. Clicking it on, Kyoya found some interesting things in the newfound light. He was, as he predicted, lying on Tamaki, straddling his back. Hikaru lay not farther away on his side, a trail of still dripping blood tracing down his face from his head, and Haruhi was mere feet away, looking quite peaceful as she lay on her stomach, almost as though she were napping.

Moving the small beam about, Kyoya noticed something else - where they had landed was some sort of cellar, with stone walls, shelves of different things such as huge barrels full of what could only be alcohol and seventeenth century oil lamps, a dirt packed floor under them and a slab of concrete under that. Wherever they were, it was obviously very old. Besides the footprints one would expect to see, strange scuff marks were visible, trailing off down a partially hidden doorway that was letting in a dreadfully chilly draft, small drops of crimson marking it as a relatively new addition to the ancient room. As much as Kyoya wanted to explore, follow after the markings, perhaps, he knew he couldn't do it and pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

After all, he couldn't walk anyway, and what sort of friend would he be to leave his comrades behind? Besides, it seemed he was in the best condition of them all right then, having unintentionally used Tamaki as a cushion to break his fall. Kyoya stuck the tiny flashlight into his mouth, clamping it firmly in his teeth, and carefully rolled off the blonde's back. He didn't miss the nearly imperceptible breath of relief he released, and Kyoya gave his shoulder a few gentle shakes. Tamaki stirred as though waking, so Kyoya let him be and moved to Haruhi. She woke almost instantly, squinting against the bright light.

"Kyoya-sempai? What happened?" Haruhi sat up, groaning. "Ow …and why does everything hurt?" Kyoya smiled, offering his hand.

"We fell into the trap door, remember? Here, you might want to get off the floor - it's rather dirty." Haruhi gratefully accepted the gesture, looking around with interest as Kyoya returned to Tamaki, who was just sitting up.

"Kyoya, my back is killing me," Tamaki whined plaintively. "I was laying on my chest - why does it hurt so much?" Kyoya turned away from him once he was fully reoriented to work on reviving Hikaru, hiding his grin.

"It was just a rough trip down is all." Tamaki, happily appeased, instantly bounded to Haruhi's side, checking his _poor, precious daughter_ for injuries, refusing to back off even after she had insisted she was fine. Kyoya chuckled at their antics - it was certainly a relief to hear them resume their regular air. It helped, in his own mind, to build hope …hope that they would get out of this house of horrors and be able to return to their normal lives. A comforting thought, that was. However …

"I think we have a problem," Kyoya announced, interrupting their age old battle over Tamaki not being Haruhi's real father and the consequential bickering that followed. Intense sky blue and creamy coffee brown flew his way as the disagreement died a slow, pitiful death.

"What kind of problem?" Tamaki inquired, his unusual seriousness back in effect. Kyoya, hating to bring the bad news, slid about a foot to his right, just enough to give them a clear view of a still unconscious Hikaru and the blood running down his face that had yet to show signs of slowing.

"I can't seem to wake him up, and he's losing blood much too quickly. Currently, none of us can carry him, as moving him would be dangerous - we're at a standstill until he wakes."

\\( ' - ' )/

Kaoru trudged onward, too tired to even muster a sigh of defeat. He'd been walking down the dank halls for hours, an antique lantern in one hand and the other hanging limp by his side, his dragging left foot finally stopping its incessant dripping. Every now and then, the halls would branch in different directions, but this place was like a maze - one wrong turn and he knew he'd never see the sun again. Trusting his better judgment, Kaoru continued going straight, driving himself on with two constant thoughts; _find Hikaru_ , and _find water_. He kept chanting them in his head like mantras, pushing himself to keep going. It was hard. He was just so _tired_ …

 _Clink_ …

Kaoru froze, swinging the lantern back and forth.

"Hello?" He called timidly, inching back a step or two. What was that move Honey had taught him as self defense?

 _Clink …clink …step …clip …clip …clip …_

Kaoru backed up more, ignoring that dizzying nausea that had been stalking him since he woke.

"Hello?" He called louder, wondering if maybe whoever was there simply had not heard him. The noises paused. Then, a sickeningly sweet voice answered him, echoing faintly down the hall.

"Oh, so you did end up down here! Good, I was beginning to think I'd lost you. Maybe I should go to work on you first and worry about Suoh later, eh?" Kaoru blanched. He was fairly certain that the chipper man speaking was the one who had trapped them all in this twisted house, and he definitely wasn't interested in being friendly with his intentions. Dark, creeping shadows were looming around every corner, coming closer and closer and he was trapped and why, why was he by himself - deep breath, but those shadows were so _close_ \- and _where was Hikaru_ -

"Kao-chan? What are you doing here?" The young, comforting tone broke through his rising panic like a hot knife through butter, and any fears he had disappeared like smoke when a familiar blonde head lower than his chin and a silent hulking giant towering over them both appeared in the weak light of his lantern. Kaoru slumped forward in relief, sighing hard enough that the flame nearly went out.

"Honey-sempai, Mori-sempai, am I glad to see you," he breathed. The two teens looked a bit worse for wear, dirty and scruffy and Honey missing his bunny and Mori holding his right arm close - it looked kind of funny at the angle it was at. Despite their situation, Honey's crocodile tears didn't seem to have made an appearance, although Kaoru shouldn't have been surprised - the short senior only pulled them out like some kind of secret weapon when he wanted to be cuddled like a stuffed toy.

"Kao-chan! We were worried you guys wouldn't be down here with us!" He launched his small body forward for a hug, and seemed confused when he pulled away. "But where's Hika-chan and the others?" Kaoru shrugged, just as lost.

"I don't know."

\\( ' - ' )/

AN: Sorry, but that's all for now! This story is far from over, and _might_ even have a sequel, but we shall see on that one. Hooray, we found out what happened to Kaoru! Although, I am evil, yes, because he still hasn't been reunited with Hikaru. Ah, well, stuff happens. I hope you enjoyed the early installments, and again, keep an eye on my others for more chapters soon! That is all for now. \\( ' - ' )/


	5. Chapter 5: By the Light of the Lantern

AN: Hello again, it's me. Yes, I did say I'd post a chapter - well, technically today, and it was supposed to be for Evergreen Glade, but then life happened and you get another chapter of Ghost in the Room. Yay! No killing of the author is allowed if this chapter in particular seems dull. I know it is, but there was never a good spot to stick an action scene into, so ...yeah. This one. I'm not terribly fond of it, but it helps move the characters from one spot to another, so. Point A - point B. Simple. I hope you enjoy anyway!

Disclaimer: Sigh ...how many times must I only claim responsibility for Castor over there? Huh?

\\( ' - ' )\

"Sempai, I'm fine," Haruhi snapped for the tenth time in a row. Tamaki, insistent that there must have been some injury he hadn't found yet, continued checking her over, ignoring her protests and asking "does this hurt?" every time he touched her elbow, or knee, or neck. Haruhi was touched by his concern, she really was, but honestly, he needn't have made such a big deal about a few bumps and bruises. Eventually, worn down by Tamaki's incessant scuttling about, Kyoya dragged him beside himself, ordered him to keep Hikaru's head elevated, and moved over to chat, _quietly_ , with Haruhi. With nothing left to do and nobody to talk to, Tamaki obediently put Hikaru's head in his lap and sat, staring into space and actively not allowing his mind freedom to roam.

It was becoming so hard to forget Rin's wide, pleading eyes, and resisting the urge that they needed to find her, too, because she needed to be here, with him, not alone and scared and sad - and not a tortured doll, murdered by a madman and never coming back to play with him and hug him and offer dandelions as a gift for just being there with her - Tamaki shook his head, fighting back tears. He wanted to have her in his arms now, and knowing that he could never do it again was tearing him apart inside. He glanced down when Hikaru twitched. His family was hurt, lost, and trapped, and as the father, it was his duty to save them and be the leader they depended on. He couldn't think about poor Rin - not yet. But, he resolved to properly mourn her once they were free. His cousin would have the nicest grave ever, under a big leafy tree, and surrounded by lots and lots of pretty flowers -

"Tamaki," Kyoya said insistently. He sounded kind of annoyed.

"Yes?" Tamaki asked innocently. Kyoya sighed, rubbing his face and pushing his cracked glasses up to his forehead.

"I was beginning to think you'd never respond," he moaned dramatically. "I found a sturdy piece of wood here in the corner that I can use to assist me. Seeing as you are currently the strongest and Hikaru may have a head injury, would you mind carrying him?" Of course Tamaki didn't mind, but to get back at Kyoya for refusing his help initially, he had to pay the price. Tamaki held out an open palm expectantly.

"Jacket," he demanded. Puzzled, Kyoya did as instructed, handing over his mostly ruined school jacket, which Tamaki took and immediately destroyed beyond repair by tearing it into multiple strips. Kyoya was quite indignant at first - yes, he could easily replace the jacket, but anything involving spending more money set his teeth on edge. But, he got over it quickly enough. The fabric was probably too dirty to be cleaned anyway. Tamaki took the strips and tied several tightly around Hikaru's head, where he was fairly sure the wound was, and motioned Kyoya forward when he was done. Once the brunette was in reach, Tamaki pulled out a handful of new pencils taped together, covered in little smiling faces - Rin had brought them for him as a present that very morning. He put the cluster of yellow smiles flush up to Kyoya's swollen ankle and used the remaining two strips of blue to tie them tightly in place - a rather unorthodox sort of splint.

"Wow, sempai, where'd you learn to do that?" Haruhi asked, leaning over Kyoya's shoulder.

"From me," Kyoya intoned. "He would get hurt so often on stupid things, such as tripping over a chair leg, for example, that I felt it best to teach him some medical tips I picked up at my family's hospital. It looks like at least some of those lessons stuck in his head." He pointed to the new bandage on Hikaru, where only a trickle of blood was visible now. "Really, I'm surprised you thought to do that - I'm rather disappointed it never occurred to me after spending so much time at the hospital." Hikaru suddenly spasmed, shooting upright and freezing in place, not an inch away from knocking into Tamaki's nose. He didn't say a word, only staring straight into Tamaki's eyes. An immediate silence fell, and Tamaki just froze, locked on the hot breaths puffing in his face. Eventually, Haruhi decided to break the awkward staring contest, sidling up close to their sides.

"Uh, Hikaru? What are you doing?" Hikaru blinked, as if waking from a trance, and, using Tamaki as a support, he clambered to his feet, following the trail of blood Kyoya had discovered with his eyes.

"He's down there," Hikaru announced firmly. "Kaoru is down here somewhere, and so are Honey-sempai and Mori-sempai. They're all together, somewhere straight down this hall." Declaration complete, Hikaru took a step forward, as though attempting to go charging off after his brother, but instantly crumpled to the ground, shaking almost uncontrollably. "W …what?" Tamaki couldn't resist lightly smacking him on the shoulder, a smug grin on his lips.

"You hit your head, you idiot," he reprimanded almost fondly. "Be more careful next time, huh?" Hikaru, despite himself, grinned back, his teeth sharp and feral.

"That implies there'll be a next time, boss. We're already in the cellar, and I'm prepared for it now." Tamaki shrugged carelessly.

"Well, you never know. Anyhow, weren't we about to leave?" Kyoya nodded firmly and got to his feet.

"Yes, we were. All right, Hikaru, up you go, and quit wasting time." At the frankly lost look Hikaru was sporting, Haruhi kindly explained the situation, gently adding her own two cents on how she would have liked to help when he started looking upset, but her physique sadly wouldn't allow it. Even after talking him into it, it took several minutes to get Hikaru onto Tamaki's back, and it was mostly due to Haruhi suggesting in her sweet, thoughtful tone that the sooner he complied, the sooner they could chase after Kaoru. Haruhi silently smacked her forehead for not thinking of telling him that earlier as his eagerness was restored.

Everyone who had free hands grabbed a lantern, which they lit using the age old technique of striking rocks together to create a spark. Thankfully, they had practically had a goldmine of various sized rocks to choose from, and they were quickly on their way. Per Hikaru's directions, they didn't stray from the center corridor, even if after about an hour of walking the group was growing a bit skeptical that the others hadn't decided to explore other possible routes to escape. When Haruhi offered this bit of information verbally, (her feet were killing her, how much longer was this thing?), Hikaru was …displeased.

"No," he protested, swinging his lantern. "I saw him - Kaoru didn't leave this hall, I'm positive!" Haruhi tilted her head.

"You saw him?" She questioned skeptically. Hikaru nodded firmly.

"Yeah. It must have been when I was out, but I was following him, and there were these weird voices and creepy shadows and then Honey-sempai and Mori-sempai showed up! We're going straight." Wisely, Haruhi let it drop, though she still grumbled to herself about _impractical school shoes_ and _arrogant rich people, thinking they never walk anywhere._ Of course, she knew it was a bit mean to lump the Host Club in with her stereotyped visions of the aristocrats at Ouran, but she was tired and sore, so darn it, she was going to complain, if only in her mind.

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AN: Yes, the book has hit its slow point now, so I'm sorry about making you think it might actually be action packed here. As stated, though, fear not. More creepy and such soon to come, just be patient a few chapters more. This one was mostly planned out, so this is all leading somewhere, I promise. I hope you liked it regardless of the snail's pace!


	6. Chapter 6: What Lies in the Dark Ahead

GitR 6

AN: To my lovely guest reviewer: I return your seven minutes of life to you with this chapter. Be aware, the coming chapters pick up speed rapidly, so be prepared! (I'm sorry you've had to wait so long - you have suffered much since our last meeting.) Thank you for your review, I loved the small story you told! It was so dramatized and fun to read! Well, here you go, in appreciation for your comments, I give you the next Ghost in the Room and a new chapter of This is Real Life. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I'm just going to stop claiming Castor now - and I only wish I was part of Ouran ...

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Four. Stinking. Hours. Four hours they had been traipsing down this stupid corridor, no end in sight, no sign of their missing friends, and no energy left to care about exploring. Haruhi had finally had enough.

"Guys, come on," she snapped. "There's obviously nobody else down here, and I'm pretty sure we've just been going in circles this whole time! I say we just pick a different path and work more on getting us out of here than finding people who aren't here anymore!"

"But -!" Hikaru yelped, scrambling over Tamaki's head. Haruhi stomped her aching foot.

"No!" She shouted, cutting him off. "You've hit your head badly, we shouldn't have trusted your judgement in the first place! I know you want to find your brother, we all do, but this is ridiculous! I say we get out of here, contact the police, and let _them_ take care of the rest! What do we do if we run into Castor, huh? What then? Think, we can't defend ourselves -"

"And Honey and Mori can!" Hikaru cried. "They're together, _with my brother,_ and _they_ can help protect us once we find them! Please, just let me look for a little while longer!" Haruhi wanted to argue. They had no resources of any kind except for pure adrenaline, they were tired, and they'd lost the trail of blood, the only link to their lost friends they had, a long time ago. She wanted to point out how hurt they were, how they needed medical attention, how since Honey and Mori were expert fighters they'd be fine until real help arrived. She almost fought him. She could have won. And she knew it. She didn't do it. Just like with Tamaki, she couldn't bring herself to fight him when he was so desperate that he would've kept going without them; he stared at her, pleading and just as tired as they were.

Hikaru dropped from Tamaki's back, which he'd been forced to reclaim after that last dizzy spell nearly knocked him out again, and grasped Haruhi's shoulders, whispering to her now that they were so close.

"He's scared," he told her. "He's scared, and hurt, and if anything happens to him, there's no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't go with him. It was never an option. If one of us ever died, we both would. Right now he's so terrified - I can feel it. I don't want him to feel that way. Not ever. Please, let me find him. I have to make sure he's safe, and if we're together, he won't be scared anymore. Please, Haruhi, just a little longer." Haruhi sighed, letting her eyes drop to the dusty floor.

"All right, but if we don't find them in one more hour, we're getting out of here the first chance we get, okay?" Hikaru squeezed her shoulders before his arms dropped back to his sides, reclaiming his fallen lantern.

"Deal. We're close, they probably stopped to rest." He started walking, Tamaki rushing after him despite his sore arms.

"Hikaru! Get back here! You're not supposed to be walking yet, remember? Hikaru!"

\\( ' - ' )/

"I'm thirsty, Takashi," Honey whined sleepily, cuddling up to his cousin. Mori grunted, draping an arm around him, perhaps to keep him warm. His broken arm he kept in his lap, and Honey was very careful to avoid touching it in any way. Kaoru closed his eyes, breathing out slowly.

"Sorry, sempai, if I had any you'd be welcome to it," he sighed. Honey yawned.

"That's okay, Kao-chan. I can wait." He fell asleep soon after, snuggled safely under Mori's touch. Mori, as was customary, only slid a brief apologetic look towards Kaoru and closed his eyes, apparently exhausted. Kaoru wasn't surprised; after seeing the amount of tranquilizers decorating them only hours ago, it would make sense that they were still feeling the effects of the sleeping agents. He himself hadn't been stuck with any tranquilizers, but he was tired - wandering around without breaking for almost five hours did that to a person.

"KAAAOOORRUUUU!" His head shot up just in time to be crushed by his near hysterical twin, a group of lanterns held by the remaining Host Club lighting the area much better than his solitary light.

"Hikaru," he said in surprise, automatically wrapping his arms around him. "I didn't know you got down here, too!"

"You _**IDIOT**_ , are you hurt? Why didn't you stay still, where we could find you?" Kaoru laughed into familiar auburn hair.

"I'm okay. I wasn't sure what happened, so I just grabbed a light and started walking. I wasn't even sure where I was going, but at least I ran into Honey and Mori, otherwise I would've been really lost." They pulled apart, and Kaoru immediately frowned at the dirty blue shirt tied around his brother's head, a trail of dried blood streaking down his face.

"And you call _me_ the idiot," he snorted, lightly touching the wraps. Hikaru grinned sloppily.

"Ha, we're twins. We're _both_ idiots." Kyoya motioned to the sleeping duo.

"Touching, but how are we going to move them?" Haruhi dropped to the ground, stretching her arms out.

"We don't, I'm tired and I'm going to stay right here with them. Let's take shifts and rest up a bit. If we need to move, we will." Kyoya nodded thoughtfully.

"That's not a bad idea. I'll take the first shift, if you don't mind." There were no complaints, so they made themselves comfortable, Haruhi leaning against Honey leaning against Mori, the twins near her, distance wisely kept, and Tamaki sprawled on the floor as though it were his bed at home. Kyoya sat across the hall from them, fortunately just a few feet away, and watched them sleep. It was all very boring. He took his glasses off and cleaned them on his shirt, frowning at the crack running across the right lens. With nothing better to do, he leaned back on the wall and watched the hosts as they slept, dull as it was. He needed to occupy himself somehow.

He could very vividly picture the evil man holding them hostage in the maze - like structure. He was immune to any sorts of sleeping agents, a privilage granted to him by his special blood type, and had witnessed most of the kidnapping from behind squinted eyelids. Among the misty fog of sleeping agents and unconscious hosts, a large man had stomped in, his beady little eyes glinting in glee as his gaze landed on Rin and Tamaki. One by one, and single handedly, they had been dragged out and loaded into a plain white van hidden in the shrubs decorating Ouran Academy's drive. They had been taken approximately five and a quarter hours away, to a large, crumbling mansion, shrouded in fading light and the scent of death. They had been temporarily grouped together, and while Castor had left them alone, Kyoya knew he'd be back soon, and hurriedly took advantage of the situation to take stock of their surroundings. His findings only included several dead end rooms, full of eerily decorated and positioned human dolls, in fully furnished areas.

They were moved yet again, downstairs, and split up. After that, Castor only returned to bind them, and wearing a different set of clothes that stank of old blood. Kyoya hadn't had the nerve to search further for anything but an escape, but he was unsuccessful, mostly due to his restrictions, and eventually ran into the rest of the Host Club. Based on the size of the mansion and the unconventional set up of the construction, it was unlikely he could plot a course of action, as doors and windows seemed sparse and not where they usually were. It was an old building, to be sure, and likely built to confuse possible enemies during war times. It was working to their disadvantage now, and Kyoya couldn't see any way around finding an escape besides looking as far as they could. The confusing maze had left Kyoya disoriented as to where they had entered long ago. As far as he could see, they merely had to keep going as they were, searching for a way out as they went. Across from him, Honey whimpered softly in his sleep, and Mori shifted his hand to rest on the smaller head without batting an eye. Kyoya smiled to himself as the short blond instantly settled back to sleep.

Their odd assortment of hosts certainly was special. Their strength and perseverance in the midst of all this, kidnapped, with Rin …well. They were certainly courageous. He'd never seen Tamaki in such a horrid state, or Haruhi so concerned. And yet, here they all were, pushing on, putting priorities first and saving their grief and fears for when they had the safety to afford such. As long as Castor didn't find them, they had a chance of survival. A groan from across the way garnered his attention once more, and he watched with a raised eyebrow as not one, but two, hosts began uncomfortably twitching in their sleep. Specifically, Kaoru and Mori. The first wasn't that unexpected, but Mori?

"Now there's a surprise," he murmured aloud. Closest to him, Tamaki stirred, known quite well for being a light sleeper, and cracked open a red ringed eye to peer up at him.

"Something wrong, Kyoya?" He slurred, not entirely awake. Kyoya motioned for him to keep his voice low and leaned closer.

"It appears that we won't get far if we are slowed down by our own stupidity and denial," Kyoya offered. "If you're going to be complete morons about this, then at least have the decency to allow at the very least a trickling stream of wisdom into your thick skulls." Tamaki's head lolled to the side, and Kyoya sighed.

"If we're injured, let's take care of it so we can live," Kyoya repeated more simply.

"Oh. You know, Kyoya, you could stand to be just a bit more coherent the first time around," Tamaki told him. Kyoya only pushed his glasses further up his nose. He'd heard the same speech countless times, and it no longer bothered him anymore.

"You seem to be missing my point here. I doubt it's been any longer than two days since we've been kidnapped, and if we're already at a disadvantage due to injuries, then wouldn't it be a good idea to care for them as best we can?"

Three …two …one …

"Oh, I getcha, so if we're more prepared, then we have a better chance of escaping!" Tamaki exclaimed. Kyoya smiled, the look of relief barely visible.

"Exactly. Give me a hand here, moving around freely is rather difficult for me at present."

\\( ' - ' )/

 _Stomp, thump, stomp, creak …_

Castor grinned, his crimson spotted crescent moon of a smile gleaming in the near dark. Those beautiful blonds he'd stumbled across when hunting for better models had been so flawless, so perfect, and finding the others had been the icing on the cake. This chase they were on through the mansion was so fun, so exhilarating! But he needed to catch at least _one_ to work on. The girl had been hard work, she'd made him sweat, and it'd been exciting. He wanted more, so much _more_! Separation was the key to getting what he wanted now. He flicked the hall light to life. The trail of bloody drips beneath him never wandered. This part was going to be so very easy that he couldn't resist the bellowing laugh that burst out of him at the thought. Oh, yes, so much _fun…_

\\( ' - ' )/

AN: Whew ...these are hard to make believable. Well, I suppose I don't have to ...hm ...anywho, I hope you enjoyed their little reunion! Was it too rushed? I'm trying to pace it without it being dull. Let me know what you thought, and if you're so inclined, please check out my other stories on my page! (And leave a review, if you don't mind - I enjoy reading them, and it gives me motivation to post sooner!) Thank you! \\( ' - ' )/


	7. Chapter 7: Separated

AN: And here you are, the newest chapter! Here the creeps start - woohoo! I'm not sure how many chapters there will be, but expect several more at the least. I'm having too much fun writing the creeps out ...they're just so creepy! And now that I've used the word creepy in three different ways ...on to the chapter!

Disclaimer: Why do I even bother ...oh, yeah, because Ouran's amazing and I'm torturing them instead of making them deal with complicated love scenarios!

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"Ow! Back off, Ootori, that hurts!" Kaoru yelped. Kyoya didn't bother even looking at him, used to the Hitachiin's occasional childishness.

"Be quiet. Honestly, if you'd just told me right out about your leg, this would've been a lot less painful. And do you know why? Because then I could've treated it earlier and not risked infection." Kaoru grumbled under his breath, and Kyoya didn't ask him to repeat it. Instead, he wiped the discolored blade on what remained white of his button down, staining it to a dark red splotch. He sighed at the utter stupidity of the group as a whole. No matter what they did, they always seemed to cause trouble, if not for others then for themselves. Carefully, so as not to touch a nerve, he inserted the blade around the infected area in the redhead's leg and opened it to let the majority of the infection seep out. In the course of things, it seemed that everyone had been much more injured than assumed, and Kaoru …well, let's just say he was the worst off.

Not prepared to fall through a floor with his arms bound behind his back, Kaoru had cut his leg open on something Kyoya could only guess was an old piece of metal or wood. He only hoped nothing had been rusted over or Kaoru was in a fair bit of danger. The wound was starting to bleed again rather heavily, so Kyoya used yet another strip of suit jacket to keep it from puddling. The dusty blue turned black in the weak lamplight, and Kyoya wordlessly passed a relatively clean patch of fabric up to Kaoru who took it and, following Kyoya's instructions, bit down on it, making a face at the funny taste. Kyoya heard a sharp hiss as he dug the emergency pocketknife he carried back into the wound, and pressed a second strip of cloth to it. They had all scrapped their jackets for bandages long ago, and they were already running low.

"Gah! Get out of my face, Suoh!" Hikaru snapped from somewhere behind them. Tamaki frowned in concentration, moving the lantern closer to see into his eyes.

"I'm just following orders," he told the twin. "Kyoya wants to make sure you don't have a concussion." Hikaru snorted, crossing his arms.

"Like he's one to talk, Mr. I've-got-a-concussion-and-that's-why-I-can't-remember-medical-procedures-correctly-for-five-hours," Hikaru responded, sending Kyoya a glare as he calmly continued draining infected fluids out of his brother.

"If you'd like to take over, be my guest," Kyoya offered, stretching his arm out for Hikaru to take a good look at the mess of a leg Kyoya was working on and the dirtied knife in his hand. Hikaru, understandably, paled, and shook his head.

"N-no, I'm okay," he said weakly. Kyoya knowingly turned back, tying the wound closed with the last of their jacketes. He wished he had some sort of alcohol or antibiotic on hand, because without it Kaoru had a high chance for a second infection. Haruhi pulled away from slinging Mori's arm, scowling across at the boys.

"Will you all shut up?" She interjected roughly. "Picking on each other isn't going to solve anything here, so either think of a plan or keep quiet!" The cavern fell silent. Nobody dared defy Haruhi, not even Honey, though he technically could as he was older and therefore held more authority. There was just no going against her wishes. It went against everything they believed, their very principles, as the Ouran Host Club.

"Erm, Haruhi?" Honey inquired sweetly. "I-I was wondering, you know, since you're not hurt …could you look at me, too? Kyoya's scaring me." Haruhi smiled politely and sat the teen down in front of her.

"Of course. Where does it hurt?" While Honey kept Haruhi preoccupied, Kyoya and Hikaru returned to their cat and dog fight in hushed tones so she wouldn't hear. Tamaki, however, let the lantern fall from his fingers as he shifted to look back the way they'd come, gaze unfocused as he listened. Practically unconscious at this point, Kaoru reached out and patted his arm, startling him. Golden irises asked him silently what was wrong, and Tamaki glanced back.

"I thought I heard something," he whispered. Kaoru tapped him again, wincing as Kyoya went to work on his strained arm. Tamaki swallowed. His unease didn't go unnoticed, as Kyoya peered up suspiciously.

"What is it?" He asked quietly, filtering out Hikaru's indignant protests at being ignored.

"I don't know. It sounds like somebody's walking really heavily down here with us, like they're stomping or something." He shook his head, knotting his fingers into his hair. "I thought …it was just my imagination …but now I'm not so sure." He then nervously clutched at the collar of his shirt, hands shaking ever so slightly. "It sounds like …like Castor, and he's …humming nursery rhymes." Kyoya, who couldn't hear anything definite, sharpened his gaze. Despite being emotionally wrecked at present, he could almost always count on the half French blond to be correct in what he'd heard. He was a natural listener, and that extended to sensitive hearing as well.

"Then I propose moving on before he catches up to us," Kyoya stated, rising from his crouch. He informed the others of what was going on, and with Hikaru leaning on Haruhi for support while Tamaki glowered, and Mori sportingly carrying Kaoru with his good arm, they set off again. Kyoya curiously looked to Tamaki as they walked, nudging him to garner his attention. "What sorts of nursery rhymes is he humming? I can't hear him." Tamaki shrugged.

"I don't know, they're ones I'm not very familiar with. All I know is that he's coming and that he's going to kill us all and turn us into decorations and he's down here and he's humming, it's like he knows exactly where we are! I'm scared, Kyoya, I just want to wake up and find out this was all a dream and I can play with Rin and never worry about Castor ever again!" Kyoya easily recognized the quivering note of hysteria in his voice, and firmly clamped a hand to his wrist to ground him.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "It's real. But we will get out, okay? As soon as we can call for help, this will all be over, but until then, we need to stay calm and rational, understand?" Tamaki gulped in a deep breath, nodding affirmingly. Kyoya sighed.

"Good. Say, Haruhi, why don't we try leaving the center hall? If Castor's on our trail then it would be beneficial to leave as little trace of ourselves as we can." Haruhi, who was in the lead, glanced back.

"But we don't know where the other paths lead."

"We don't know where this one goes, either," Hikaru pointed out. While the discussion degraded into bickering, comments flying back and forth and back and forth again in rapid succession, Kaoru's eyelids drooped, and soon enough he was asleep, oblivious to the fighting that continued on as his consciousness faded.

\\( ' - ' )/

"Hee hee, look at his funny hair!"

Kaoru couldn't see anyone. It was nothing but heavy, watery grey fog, stretching on for miles and miles. Did it even end?

"Do you want to play, Kao-chan?"

"I have a rhyme to tell you! See saw, Marjory Daw, Jack shall have a new master -"

"Who's there?" Kaoru called out cautiously. A child's voice answered, one he regretfully recognized.

"It's me, Kao-chan! Rin! Do you want to hear me recite? Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jump over the candlestick -"

"You can't be Rin, Rin's dead!" Kaoru shouted. A second voice answered instead.

"You wanna see Tamaki's hat? She took it right off his head, and he said she could keep it!"

"Here's one I just learned! Yesterday upon the stair, I saw a man who wasn't there; he wasn't there again today, oh how I wish he'd go away! Did you like it, Kao-chan? It's just like Castor-san!"

Kaoru frowned. This wasn't right, the voices - they were off somehow.

"What do you mean? How is it like Castor?" He asked. This wasn't a normal dream - if it even was a dream. Maybe they could give him some useful information?

"Because, silly, he's there and he's not!" The voice that wasn't Rin exclaimed. "And you're supposed to be our sempai! Aren't you supposed to know this stuff?"

"Yeah!" The Rin voice chimed. "I thought Tamaki-niisan only said you weren't smart because he thought you actually were! You're very confusing like him, Kao-chan." Kaoru sighed. He smiled into the fog, scratching at his hair in the same habit Hikaru had taken to when they were little. When his hand came away, it looked smaller, softer. Perhaps he'd shrunk himself to a child in the dream. This was a dream, he was sure, it had to be. The childish voices might be more willing to share what they knew if he talked to them as a child himself.

"Sorry, Rin-chan, I didn't mean to sound that way," he spoke, his voice as high pitched as it was long ago, back when he was seven. "I just forgot is all. Could you remind me, please?" Rin's voice giggled, then took on the air of someone excited to teach their younger sibling.

"Okay, Kao-chan! It's like Castor because he's not real. None of this is. Do you remember now?" Kaoru felt his blood run cold.

"Not yet. What do you mean, it's not real?" The other child's voice drifted over to him, like it was fading away.

It's like Rin-chan said. We're gone now, but Castor doesn't exist, not really. Of course, we're still dying; that's still real. There's no mansion and there's no Castor, and definitely no human dolls. That's gross. But be careful, Onii-san, because whoever's killing us isn't going to let you leave that easily."

"That's right, Kao-chan," Rin added, her voice also fading with the fog. "Believe us, everything you see is an illusion. Don't trust your eyes. If we never leave, then we have to at least make sure you do. Be careful. Oh, and Kao-chan?"

"Yes?" This time, there was a kinder, sweeter note in her tone, much more like the Rin Kaoru remembered so vividly.

"Tell Tama-niisan that I love him."

"I'll tell him. He loves you, too, Rin."

"I know. Thank you, Kao-chan. I'll miss you. All of you." The heavy fog lifted. There was nothing left but a gentle, warm light. Rin, and the other child with her, were gone. Somehow, Kaoru knew they wouldn't ever be back.

\\( ' - ' )/  
Hikaru poked Kaoru again, just to be sure he was really asleep, and sighed. Honestly, he was sick of this so-called conversation and wanted someone else to talk to. Mori was an option, but he didn't exactly seem to be in the mood for talking anyway. They'd been walking for so long already, did it even matter which path they took? He sighed, falling behind some to avoid being dragged into the conflict. Yeah, he hadn't minded the normalcy of the pointless bickering before, but now it was just annoying. Maybe he was simply tired, but he didn't even want to open his mouth, let alone join a vocal fight. He sighed once more. This was normal, he just had to wait it out.

"You'd better be right about this curved one! It feels like we're walking in circles!"

"Yeah? Well we weren't getting anywhere going straight, either!"

"We're already lost, who cares what path we take as long as we get out of here?"

"Haru-chan's right, it doesn't matter as long as we leave! Takashi's with me, aren't you?"

"Mm."

Hikaru sighed. Wasn't Haruhi originally against them straying from the center path? His throat was sore just listening to them. He attempted clearing it subtly, hoping the itchiness would dissipate. What he wasn't expecting was the quick coughing spasm that stopped him dead in his tracks. When he looked up again, still coughing into his elbow, he was surrounded by pitch blackness. Alone. Great. How quiet had he been for them to not notice that he'd fallen that far behind?

"Would you look at that, I didn't have to do any work to separate one of you, it happened all on its own!" The voice was so close behind him that the air on the back of Hikaru's neck felt warm from the puffs of breath. Before he had time to experience more than the growing twinges of panic, something sharp pricked his exposed skin by his shoulder, and the next thing he knew he was falling to the ground. "Night night," was the last he heard before all his thoughts ceased.

\\( ' - ' )/

AN: Question: am I crazy? Why yes, yes I am. Why else would I make the hosts deal with all of this for mine and yours pleasure? Ahem ...anyway, I hope you enjoyed! As I was writing this, I said to myself, "hey, wouldn't it be great to throw someone for a loop if Rin's ghost showed up out of nowhere?" So she did. She's such a stinker, not telling Kaoru what he wanted to know right away. By the way, the nursery rhymes they were singing were the ones Castor was humming. No horror story can be a horror story without the occasional creepy nursery rhymes! Please review if you liked it!


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